AMMAN, Jan. 18 -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday sent a letter to Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi about tension de-escalation in the Gulf region.

In the letter delivered by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian king highlighted the centrality of maintaining Iraq's sovereignty, safety and security to regional and international security, while voicing Jordan's full support for Iraq, according to a Foreign Ministry statement obtained by Xinhua.

During his meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Mohamed Ali Alhakim earlier in the day, Safadi said the region does not need new wars.

For his part, Alhakim said Iraq has "told the United States and Iran frankly that Iraq will not be a battlefield."